


Keeping Raphael

by Reader115



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-14 19:22:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8025931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reader115/pseuds/Reader115
Summary: Alternate title: "Maybe I just like dropping Leo into other dimensions". 2016 Leonardo is dropped unexpectedly into the 2012 lair. And 2012 Leo is now going to have a hard time ignoring certain feeling while being forced to watch THOSE TWO interact. Warning: Eventual Tcest. I don't own the turtles.





	1. Chapter 1

One second they were having movie night. And the next second they were on their feet, circling a much larger mutant turtle who had just dropped directly into the center of their home's pit.

"Uh, Leo?" Mikey's nunchucks were swinging, but he wasn't making any moves to strike as he stared with wider than normal eyes at the intruder. The intruder whose blue mask and blue eyes made him look an awful lot like his eldest brother. The katana strapped to his shell were a pretty big clue too.

"Leo?" Raph growled. The muscles in his arms strained to make a move. He was only willing to wait for Leo to give an order for a few more moments. This new turtle had at least a foot on them in height, and the muscle mass to go with all those extra inches.

Leo watched as the intruder turtle's hands twitched, a move Leo recognized, since his hands did the same thing anytime instinct told him to pull his swords. But this turtle didn't pull the weapons, so Leo shook his head slightly, an order he knew both Raph and Mikey were waiting for. He heard Raph huff out a breath in disagreement, but his brother obeyed anyway, and took a step back away from the stranger, as did Mikey.

The new turtle sensed the shift in intentions and turned his shell to the other two in order to face the leader turtle. He frowned as he stared down at –

"Leo?" He phrased it as a question, although he wasn't really asking. He was clearly in a sewer lair and the blue masked, blue-eyed turtle had to be Leonardo.

"Who are you?" Leo asked, fierce mask in place, although the blue eyes he was locked onto were beginning to look amused.

"I'm Leonardo. I'm you. Well," he paused and his hand rose above Leo's head, indicating the vast difference in their height, "I'm sort of you."

Leo glared at Mikey when he heard him snicker before turning back to _Leonardo_. "How can that be? How can we trust that?"

Leonardo kept his eyes focused on Leo. Instinctually, he knew that if he could get Leo to believe him, his ability to get home would go a lot smoother, especially if this group had a spare Donatello around. Plus, if Leo trusted him, then maybe Raph would put away the sais he was still gripping tightly in Leonardo's peripheral.

Leonardo held up one finger, "I'm the leader of my three younger brothers." Leo didn't look impressed. He lifted a second finger, "My father is a mutant rat named Master Splinter."

Leo tilted his unimpressed head. So far that was all common knowledge among anyone who knew they existed.

Leonardo pressed his lips together. He liked his privacy, and would bet money that this Leo did as well. But if the guy wasn't going to believe him, then he really had no choice.

A third and final finger was raised. "And I hoard dark chocolate like there's no tomorrow in a spare set of sheaths I keep hanging on the wall in my room."

"Hey!" Leo hoped both Leonardo _and_ Mikey realized the shout was for both of them. One for ruining the best hiding place he had in the entire lair. And the other because he'd already taken off for Leo's room.

"You've got tattoos." Raph's weapons had been returned to his belt and he stepped closer to examine some of the artwork on the guy's arms.

"Raph." It was meant to be an order to step _back_. Leo didn't care if this guy was another version of himself, he still didn't want the others too close to him until they figured out what he was doing here.

Raph only spared Leo a slightly confused glance before he actually reached up and poked the larger Leonardo in the arm. "Dude, are these turtles?"

Leonardo turned away from the clearly irritated Leo and looked down at Raph next to him. It was a strange sensation to look down at this version of his brother. He couldn't remember the last time he could look down at Raphael. This red-clad turtle may be shorter than his own counterpart, but his neck and arms showed a matched interest in weight lifting. And when Raph's big green eyes looked up to meet his own, he couldn't help but smile down at him.

"Yes," he finally answered, "some of Michelangelo's early work."

"Ya let Mikey tattoo ya?"

Now he was grinning and turning his body towards Raph and his incredulous look.

"Well, let's just say I owed him one and this is how he asked to be repaid. So I went with turtles. I figured it was simple enough that they'd actually look like turtles at the end of it. How'd he do?"

An unexpected growl rose up Leo's throat as he watched Leonardo actually flex his damn bicep in Raph's face. The unusual noise, especially coming from Leo, had Raph turning his attention away from the shifting inked turtles to send Leo another confused look. But before he could voice a question, Mikey came bounding back into the room. And based on the amount of chocolate in the youngest turtle's hands, Raph could already feel the headache he was going to have later when _sugar rush Mikey_ appeared.

Leo turned his attention back to the youngest as well. "Mikey, when we're interrogating an intruder in our home, you do not just -," Leo's indignant lecture was cut off as Mikey tossed him a chocolate.

"Here ya go, big guy," Mikey said, tossing another to Leonardo who caught it easily with a smile in thanks.

"So, listen, do you guys happen to know Usagi?" Blank stares answered Leonardo's question and he shrugged internally, knowing that it was a long shot for him to have still landed in the dimension where his friend lived. Obviously if Usagi had a set of ninja turtles in his own world, he probably would've mentioned them to Leonardo by now. "But you do have a Donatello, right?"

"Leonardo." Their father's stern voice filled the room and let that one word work to demand an explanation.

"Um, sensei," Leo said, glancing quickly between his father and the new guy.

"Sensei," Leonardo quickly repeated with a deep bow towards Master Splinter.

Leonardo smiled fondly when he rose and Master Splinter tilted his head slightly as he quickly recognized this other incarnation of his eldest son.

"You're tall," Leonardo said. "Funny how he'd end up so tall, when you guys are so -," he cut himself off and turned away from the suddenly frowning other turtles and back towards their father. "I'm sorry for the unexpected intrusion, sensei. I seemed to have landed in the wrong dimension."

"You were dimension hopping on purpose?" Leo asked.

Leonardo nodded and pulled what looked like a remote out of his belt. "There seems to have been a malfunction in the technology. That's why I wondered if you had a Donatello. Maybe he can take a look at it?"

"Cool, bro." Now Mikey was getting too close to the other turtle with awe in his voice as he eyed the tech. "Can I -,"

"No," Leo and Raph managed to say in unison as Raph pulled Mikey back a step. Raph also managed to catch the grateful look in Leo's eyes when he did it.

"We do indeed have a Donatello, but he is currently with Miss O'Neil at her farmhouse," Master Splinter supplied. "Leonardo, please call your brother and ask that they return first thing in the morning. I do not wish for them to try to drive back this late at night."

"Hai, sensei." Leo turned away from the group in order to pull out his T-phone.

"And you, Leonardo," Master Splinter said, directing his next statement to the misplaced turtle, "are welcome and expected to stay here with us until you are able to return to your own home."

"Thank you, Master Splinter. It may be a few days. My family thinks I am visiting my friend, so they won't be aware that I'm missing right away."

"You are welcome here as long as it takes."

Leonardo bowed once again to the ninjitsu master and watched as Master Splinter turned and headed back to his own room.

"Donnie will be back tomorrow around lunchtime," Leo said, returning to the group.

"Was he mad?" Raph asked.

"What am I interrupting?" Leonardo asked after he watched the grins exchanged between Raph and Mikey after Raph's question.

"Just Donnie and April's first big weekend getaway," Mikey said with a wide grin. "On Friday night."

"Wait, Donnie and April?" Leonardo was floored.

"Yes, although try not to say it like that when they're here. It's a fairly new relationship," Leo said, immediately defensive of his younger brother.

"Ten years in the making," Raph muttered.

"I know some guys who move even slower," Mikey said, while refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the room as he unwrapped another candy bar.

"Well, that's another clear difference in our worlds," Leonardo said, picturing his own Donatello and April. "I mean, Donatello and April are good friends, but she's dating Casey Jones, a police officer we met while defeating the Kraang."

"Police office?" The sound that came out of Raph was close to a guffaw and had Leonardo's attention zeroed in on him again. "Seriously?"

Leonardo smiled and nodded at Raphael. "Am I okay to presume that you have a Casey Jones?"

"Yeah, and he's a vigilante, hockey playing pain in the ass," Raph said, still laughing.

"Well, ours is a police officer, hockey playing pain in the ass." Leonardo wondered for a moment if he could make his own Raphael laugh that easily. He hadn't really tried in a long time. For now, he was going to enjoy his time with this other Raphael. "Plus, out of the four of us, Michelangelo thinks he has dibs on April."

That got Mikey's swift attention away from his fifth candy bar. "Whoa, really?"

"I think its time for bed," Leo interjected.

"You can sleep in my room, Leonardo," Raph said.

"What? No." Leo had never reacted to anything so quickly in his entire life.

For the third time that night, Raph turned his confused head quickly in Leo's direction. "Fearless, I have that futon in there plus my hammock. It's fine."

"Then I'll sleep on your extra bed," Leo said, doing his best to sound confident and casual. He turned to Leonardo, which also allowed him to block Raph from Leonardo's vision. "You can have my room. I assume you know where it is?"

"Sure," Leonardo said, his own blue eyes amused once again. He bid the smaller turtles a good night and turned towards Leo's bedroom. "I'll try not to finish off the dark chocolate," he called out over his shoulder.

"Let's go, Raph," Leo said. He turned and headed towards Raph's room, relaxing only when he heard Raph follow behind him.

Mikey watched them all head off to bed before half-heartedly saying, "Um, Donnie's bedroom is open."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Ninjazure posted this really adorable picture of 2016 Leonardo on Tumblr recently, and I immediately wondered if they'd be interested in drawing a little pic for this piece. I had requested 2012 Leo glaring at an amused 2016 Leonardo and not only did Ninjazure DELIVER, but "unimpressed Raph" was thrown in there as well! Thanks again, Ninjazure, for bringing this fic to life.
> 
> [Also, here's a link back to Flickr for the picture, a site kind enough to let me store my photos to be embedded in stories](https://flic.kr/p/W8Dmxr)   
> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I typically write stories from everyone's different points of view. But I'll admit, I'm doing my best to stay out of Raph's head for this one.

Leo entered Raph's room first and allowed his shoulders to relax only after he heard Raph shut the door behind them. He took a moment to look around the room and found himself drawn to a bunch of pictures Raph had taped to one wall.

He laughed suddenly and put his finger on a particular picture. Mikey had taken a bunch of photos of them recently using some snapchat phone app that could change their faces into different creatures, and surprisingly to Leo, Raph had kept a few of them.

"You actually printed out the photo that made us look like evil demons."

"Yeah." Raph moved to his futon to begin clearing it off. He used it mostly to store gear and weapons. It was only ever cleared off on the occasions when Casey crashed at the lair.

Leo turned to Raph with a grin. "Imagine what people would think if that was the only photo ever discovered of us?" He wandered over to Raph's side and helped pull some free weights off the futon. "Mutant ninja turtle demons."

Raph huffed out a single laugh but then said, "Like they'd react so great if they saw real pics of us anyway. Almost every human we've met has thought we were monsters."

Leo shrugged in response and moved the free weights to a safe spot under the futon. "Not _all_ of them. I mean Donnie is actually dating April now." Leo lifted a stack of magazines from the futon and paused. "Although, I suppose there aren't that many Aprils out there."

Raph hummed in agreement as he became overly concerned with aggressively fluffing the one spare pillow he kept on the futon. "I'm not really lookin for an April anyway."

Leo tilted his head as he watched Raph's fists punish the futon pillow. "Then who are you looking for?" he asked in a low voice. He watched Raph's green eyes finally leave the pillow in order to meet his gaze. But right when he finally opened his mouth to speak, there was a knock on Raph's door.

"It's me," Leonardo's voice came through the door. Leo turned away from Raph in order to answer it and Leonardo was soon handing over Leo's T-phone. "You left your phone out in the pit. I heard it beeping. You really should keep that on you at all times you know, especially with Donnie staying somewhere else."

"Thanks," Leo said icily. He took the phone from his counterpart and stepped out into the hallway to take care of it when he saw a missed call from Karai.

"I guess I won't tell him that the fierce leader glare doesn't work on me," Leonardo said as he took the opportunity to welcome himself into Raph's room. He watched Raph grab one of his magazines and let his shell drop into his hammock, and since Raph didn't appear to be bothered by his presence, Leonardo turned and began to peruse the pictures on Raph's wall, in much the same manner that Leo had just done.

He huffed out a laugh when he saw a picture of the four brothers made out to look like demons. "Snapchat?" he asked, indicating the demon picture. When Raph nodded, he nodded as well with a smile. "Michelangelo has taken dozens of photos of us with that dumb app." He moved further down the wall, sneaking glances at the lounging emerald turtle when he could.

"What's yer Raph like?"

Leonardo turned back towards Raph, although he found himself pausing for a moment as he took in the sight of the muscled emerald turtle sprawled out on his hammock. Whether he was shorter than Raphael or not, it was still a rather enticing sight, although he suddenly found himself wondering if his own brother would prefer a hammock back in his room.

He forced himself to clear his throat before answering as he watched Raph use one of his feet to push against the wall and start a swinging motion. "He's a behemoth." He grinned when Raph grinned. "Seriously, he's the biggest out of all of us."

"But what's he like?"

"According to Michelangelo, he's a violent teddy bear."

"What about accordin to you?"

Leo's eye ridges rose and he turned back to look at the pictures of these turtle brothers again as he considered the question.

"According to me, Raphael is the strongest, toughest - ," he paused as the word _sexiest_ drove its way into his mind. Not to mention all the teddy bear-like things Raph did around the lair when he thought no one was looking. Like brewing Leo's and Master Splinter's tea every morning so that it was always ready in the kitchen when they were finished with morning meditation. Leonardo had always thought it was Michelangelo who did that for them until recently when he'd actually caught Raphael in the act.

Raph's voice broke into his thoughts. "Wonder if that's all Leo could come up with about me."

Leonardo focused on one picture of the four brothers. Based on Mikey's arm placement, it was clearly Mikey taking another picture of the group huddled together. But Leo's big smile wasn't for the lens. He was focused solely on Raph next to him. And even Raph, who didn't appear to smile often for photos based on the other pictures, had a small smile on his face. In fact, it looked like the two of them had just shared a private joke.

Leonardo turned back to Raph and focused on those green eyes again before he shook his head. "I wouldn't count on it. I bet there's just a lot he wouldn't dare say out loud."

He watched Raph frown at that, but before he could say more, Leo came back into the room and tossed his T-phone on the futon.

Leo looked back and forth between Raph and Leonardo, but refused to ask them what they'd been discussing.

Leonardo cut through the awkward silence first. "You meditate with sensei first thing in the morning?" Leo kept his small frown, but nodded slightly in response. "Mind if I join you?"

"No, not at all." No one could say Leo didn't know how to be polite.

"I'll see you in the morning, then," Leonardo said, shooting Raph and only Raph a quick smile before excusing himself from the room.

Leo glared at the closed door as he began to push off his gear for bed.

"Why don't ya trust him?" Raph's voice reached him. "He's you."

"He's not me."

"He's _basically_ you." Raph moved his eyes back to his magazine and pushed off the wall again.

"He's a stranger, Raph."

"That why yer in here guardin over me?"

Leo turned away from the pile he was making with his gear. "I'm not _guarding_ you," although his voice was a little higher than he would prefer, making the statement sound completely unbelievable. "You have the spare bed. If you'd prefer to have a stranger sleeping in here with you, just say the word and I'll go down and trade places with him."

Raph grinned over at him. "Yer funny when yer mad."

"I'm not mad," Leo plopped down on the futon and stared up at Raph's ceiling. "Besides, if I really felt the need to guard over you guys while this guy was here, I'd have dragged Mikey in here too."

"If ya say so, Fearless." Raph's tone was smug as he turned a page. A Leo in denial was not a new concept to him. "What'd Karai want this time?"

Raph was giving him an out and he was going to take it. Still, he groaned when he thought about Karai and wrapped his arms over his eyes. Karai had taken over the Foot clan a few years ago and spent most of her time now in the public eye working with charities and cleaning up the city streets. However, being in the public eye sometimes meant she couldn't visibly be seen _cleaning up the city streets_. In those cases, she called in her Hamato brothers to see if they'd be willing to help her – or the city – out. Each request had been considered on a case by case basis. They were willing to help stop thugs terrorizing a community center. They were not willing to be used as moving men when Karai found a building she'd prefer to use for her headquarters.

"She's coming over in the morning. She has a request. I didn't get the details."

"Ya didn't?" Raph was rightfully surprised. Getting all the details as soon as possible meant more time for leader Leo to plan out their course of action. Raph raised an eye ridge in Leo's direction as he thought about how preoccupied Leo must be to have hung up with Karai without asking all the usual questions.

Leo only shook his head beneath his arms. No, he did not get the details. He didn't want Leonardo in this room alone with Raph for too long and Karai had said it wasn't an emergency. He moved one arm slightly and shifted his head, vaguely aware that Raph was using one of his feet to push against the wall and swing his hammock. Leo had honestly always wondered if Raph preferred the hammock for shell comfort or the possibility of swinging. Maybe it was both.

"What is it that you like so much about that hammock? I'm not sure I'd like sleeping suspended like that."

"Only one way to find out." Raph spared a quick glance in Leo's direction.

"You want to switch?"

Raph lowered his magazine and turned his head completely in Leo's direction. "No. I'm not givin up a good night's sleep. But I'll share." He shrugged. "This once."

Leo felt his stomach do a small, excited flip. He did his best to appear to be considering the offer for a moment, but was soon sitting up. "Is there enough space for two?" He didn't know why he was asking. He was already crossing the room with his pillow in one hand.

Raph dropped his magazine to the floor. "Hit the lights," he instructed before Leo could get too far away from the light switch.

Leo jerked quickly in that direction and soon the lights were off. Still, he was able to move easily through the darkness and back towards the hammock.

"The bigger question is, do you think you can get in here without flippin it?"

Leo felt another stomach flip as he heard Raph's gravelly voice now in the darkness.

Once he reached the side of the hammock, he could see Raph moving to edge himself towards one side.

"Just do what I say," Raph said with a grin that he was sure Leo could see.

Leo nodded and followed Raph's instructions on how to edge himself into the hanging bed, instructions that at one point included putting a lot of his weight against Raph's side before he pulled his second leg up. The bed swung with his efforts and he froze for a few seconds until he was pretty sure they weren't going to flip. His eyes rose then and he met Raph's very amused eyes before he finally shifted to his _side_ of the bed.

Now that he was fully encased in the hammock, he could confidently say that the thing was not meant for two. Despite their shifting, they were still squished into each other's sides. But he wasn't about to complain. At all. And in the darkness, pressed up against the warm turtle, Leo was able to breathe in slowly through his nose and enjoy Raph's scent. He almost forgot to pay attention to how nicely the hammock supported his shell while allowing his neck to rest comfortably against the pillow.

Raph sat up briefly in order to pull forth his blanket from the end of the hammock, and Leo smiled in thanks as Raph covered both of them as he settled back in next to him. Leo shifted slightly with the movements and thought maybe he'd heard a small grunt from Raph as their legs slid against each other.

"What if I move too much in my sleep?" The closeness of their faces led Leo to whisper. "Will we flip?"

Then Raph's arm wrapped around his middle and he was pulled tight against Raph's side. Leo bit back his own grunt of pleasure as his stomach did the funny flip once more when it was clear that Raph's arm was there to stay.

"I'll make sure ya don't."

 


	3. Chapter 3

Leo slept hard that night and resisted the pull of wakefulness the next morning as his senses began coming back to him. He attempted to burrow further into his pillow, only to realize several moments later that his pillow smelled like Raph because he was actually attempting to burrow his face into Raph's shoulder.

He opened his bleary eyes and looked down the lines of their bodies. He had ended up halfway on top of Raph's plastron, with one of his legs resting comfortably between Raph's legs, and with Raph's heated arm still wrapped around his middle. He swallowed hard at the sight of them entwined in such a way and wished he could go back to sleep to prolong it, especially since he was fully aware that Raph was already awake.

Instead he lifted his head and met Raph's wide awake eyes with a shy smile as he did his best in the confining hammock to back off of Raph and return to his own side. Raph didn't exactly smile in return, but he did appear to be watching Leo closely, though for what, Leo wasn't sure.

"Sleep well?" Raph finally asked.

Leo nodded and groaned lightly as he stretched his legs out as straight as he could get them.

"Good," Raph replied as he continued to watch Leo thoughtfully. "Although, you certainly don't half-ass sleeping in." He continued when he saw Leo's confused look. "Ya missed yer meditation time with sensei."

Leo jerked upright at that news and swung himself sideways. It was an attempt to search out Raph's clock, but he only managed to earn a loud shout from Raph as the hammock swung precariously before throwing them both to the ground.

While Raph groaned as they hit the concrete floor, Leo's own fall had been softened by Raph's body and he now found himself planted squarely on top of the other turtle with their plastrons sandwiched together. Leo watched as Raph's face twisted in a grimace as he rubbed at the back of his head.

"Sorry. I'm sorry Raph. Are you okay?"

Raph groaned once more and the sound vibrated through Raph's plastron and straight to Leo's in a way that made Leo's breathing immediately quicken. He was concerned for Raph, but he was also acutely aware of just every part of Raph's body that he was currently touching, from their plastrons right down to their thighs.

Leo watched as Raph opened his eyes to glare at him and his mouth to speak. But then Raph closed his mouth and said nothing, seeming to decide instead to just stare up at Leo's face as if reading it, making Leo wonder what thoughts his face was revealing. He couldn't possibly mask it right now, though. Not when this felt so nice. And goddamn it, if Raph's legs shifted between his thighs _one more time_ an actual churr was going to roll up his throat. He could feel the beginnings of a rumble in his chest and -

"Are you guys fighting?"

Leo's knees and hands immediately hit the ground so that he could push himself up off Raph at the first sound of Michelangelo's voice. He was standing in the next instant with a hand out as an offer to help Raph up.

"No," Leo finally answered as he pulled Raph to his own feet. But then he immediately wondered if he should've just said yes. Yes was believable. What good reason did he have for being sprawled out on top of Raph on Raph's bedroom floor?

"I bet Leo he couldn't get in the hammock without tipping it. And I won." Raph's voice was smug as he walked past Leo and headed towards the door. "Breakfast ready?"

"Yeah," Michelangelo said, already turning to lead the way back to the kitchen, "although you better hurry up. Leonardo has already eaten half of it by himself."

Leo watched them both leave and moved across the room to hurriedly pull on his gear and be thankful to have a moment to collect himself.

Once he arrived in the kitchen, he eyed Leonardo warily as he took his own usual seat next to Raph. Raph was already chewing and Leo offered Mikey a thanks when a plate of food was set in front of him.

"You're an excellent, chef, Mikey," Leonardo said. "Honestly, we wouldn't dare eat anything Michelangelo cooked for us."

Mikey beamed back at him and quickly offered him some more food.

"No, honestly, I think three platefuls is enough," But he smiled at the smallest turtle before he turned his attention to Raph and Leo across from him. Both were being quiet and appeared to be forcing all of their attention on the plates in front of them. "I was surprised to not see you first thing this morning, Leo. I hope I didn't overstep my bounds by asking if I could join you and your father?"

To this, Leo did stop eating, and raised his gaze up to Leonardo. "No," he said, assuredly. "I merely slept in."

Leonardo nodded, reading the honesty in his own counterpart's face. "Well, then I hope you didn't oversleep because of a poor night's sleep. Perhaps because you were sleeping somewhere unusual? I'll understand if you want your own room back if I'm still here tonight."

Leo quickly shook his head, vaguely aware that Raph had stopped eating and was now side-eyeing him. "The room is all yours while you're here. I have no complaints about my sleep last night."

"Couldn't have been too terrible a night's rest since you and Raphie were fighting first thing this morning," Mikey added cheerfully.

"Don't call me that," Raph growled while Leo simultaneously insisted again that they hadn't been fighting.

"Fine, you weren't fighting," Mikey said with an eye roll. "You just had him pinned to the ground."

Leo's mouth opened and then shut. He still didn't have a good excuse anyway, not that his brain was being extremely helpful, except to re-visual himself on top of Raph.

"It can be fun to get in a little physical activity in the morning," Leonardo said, pulling the attention back to himself while he kept his own eyes on Raph. "You want to show me your moves Raph?"

Leo choked on his toast.

"Sure." Raph leaned back in his chair and whacked the back of Leo's shell a few times until he stopped coughing. Then he rose from the table and turned to head to his room for his own gear. "I'll meet ya in the dojo in a few."

Leo forced down some water from the glass Mikey handed him as he did his best to glare with his watering eyes towards Leonardo.

Leonardo who was pointedly avoiding his gaze.

"Well, it looks like I've got a distraction while we wait for Donnie." Leonardo rose from the table as well and headed back towards the dojo.

"You okay, bro?"

Leo dropped the scowl as he turned his head in Mikey's direction. "That depends."

"On?"

"On how long you think it'll take Donnie to get here."

* * *

The fun thing about sparring against Leonardo was that he had the same mannerisms and tells as Leo. A right shoulder drop meant he was about to try to sweep with his right leg. A subtle but _noticeable to Raph_ grip tightening on sword handles meant he was about to go on the offensive.

Raph could hold his own against these things. What he couldn't hold up against was Leonardo's extra weight and strength, which put Raph to the mats repeatedly. He wasn't giving up, however, and he was back on his feet after Leonardo released him from yet another hold.

Leo had strongly suggested that the two fight with weapons as logically it made sense to get some weapons training in. What he didn't mention was that he thought if their hands were busy with weapons, they couldn't be busy touching each other through the spar. However, Leonardo still managed to use his legs to pin Raph more often than not.

"Well I can see why you were so preoccupied last night on the phone," Karai stated as she seated herself along the sidelines next to Leo. "Is that supposed to be you?"

"Yes," Leo said flatly.

He was doing his best to maintain a level tone as he silently seethed on the inside. _Could Raph really not take Leonardo down at least once? Was he falling under this guy on the mats repeatedly on purpose? And if the stubborn mule would just concede instead of popping back up like a jack in the box, they could all quit and go find something_ –

"Hey!" Leo jumped as Karai poked a finger sharply in the side of his neck.

"I've been talking to you. Where's your head at?"

Leo turned back to the mats. "No where. Training."

"Uh huh." Karai turned towards the center of the room as well and watched Raph and this much larger Leonardo spar. "So, was he on like growth hormones? Steroids?" She couldn't help but smile as she teased Leo. "Think he comes from a land of giants?"

"You're not funny," Leo said dryly, despite the fact that Mikey was chuckling from his other side.

"Still, that guy looks like he could literally carry Raph off with him if he wanted." She watched Leo glance at her, his expression clearly wary.

Their silent conversation was interrupted by another loud grunt as Leonardo managed to pin Raph to the mats yet again. Leonardo grinned down at Raph, an uncharacteristic facial expression when it came to serious sparring, but he couldn't help but enjoy the way Raph's green eyes sparked back at him in defiance.

"You give up yet, little brother?"

" _Not_ your little brother."

Leonardo chuckled, and continued to stay right where he was on top of the other turtle. "You know, you're damn adorable, especially when angry."

A growl rose up Leo's throat before he could stop it. Then his his eyes narrowed in angry disbelief. Because Raph, who was trying to look indignant at the comments, couldn't quite pull it off with his skin flushing that way.

"Hey, I'm the adorable one!" Mikey chimed in as he jumped to his feet and headed towards the other two.

Mikey's approach finally moved Leonardo to release Raph. "Yes, you are as well," Leonardo said, placating the smaller, freckled Mikey with a smile sent in his direction.

"Leo, listen," Karai said in a low voice meant for just the two of them. "You were the one who told me to get off my ass and make a move if I wanted Shini to stay here with me instead of going back to Japan."

Leo's attention moved back to her face now that Raph was free from the Leonardo giant. His eyes were still angry and his voice came out as a lowered growl, but Leo couldn't help to say, "And I was right about that."

"Yes, you were _oh mighty fearless leader_. And Shini and I are very happy now. And since I owe you one, let me return the favor. You might want to get off your ass if you want to keep Raphael here."


	4. Chapter 4

Despite the number of times April rubbed his arm, _and only his arm_ , as she tried to tell him they'd have another chance for a weekend getaway soon on their drive back, his face was still twisted in a scowl as he walked into the lair.

However, that scowl soon disappeared as he was introduced to Leonardo and handed a fancy piece of tech that he was immediately intent on replicating for his own collection. And since he was apparently the original designer, he assured a stony-looking Leo that it shouldn't take him too long to look it over.

April watched Donnie disappear excitedly into his lab and wondered if she should be upset that his excitement for her could be so easily forgotten and replaced by his excitement for tech. But she just shook her head fondly as she plated pizza for the two of them, shared a friendly greeting with Karai as the kunoichi said her own goodbyes and left, and then made her way into the lab to make sure her genius ate lunch.

Mikey eyed the three turtles he was left alone with. He'd been hoping Donnie's arrival could help cut the tension, but realized that wasn't going to happen until Donnie could get that remote working and send Leonardo back home. So he suggested they sit and finish the movie they didn't make it through the night before and was happy when they all agreed. Of course, as he watched Leo sit in a spot on the pit bench that was closest to Raph in his beanbag, while sending a not so subtle glare in Leonardo's direction, he could only hope that Donnie was going to work fast.

Leo glanced to his right where Raph sat with crossed arms as he stared at the television. Then he glanced to his left, where Leonardo and Mikey sat. Leo had not only managed to block Leonardo from sitting next to Raph, but Leo also happily noted that his own legs blocked Raph from Leonardo's view. Despite these victories, he still felt tense. And he was growing more irritated by the second as he noted how relaxed Leonardo looked, even while he sat arguing about the movie's plot holes with Mikey. And then on top of his anxiety, or maybe because of it, his brain presented him with a sudden visual of Leonardo literally picking Raph up and carrying him off.

In response, Leo's hand instinctually landed on Raph's shoulder. Raph tensed beneath his fingers and his head turned slightly in Leo's direction, although not enough to make eye contact. When Leo felt Raph relax, he got brave and let his thumb rub back and forth over Raph's warm skin.

At first, he wasn't sure of Raph's reaction. _Did Raph just exhale a sudden breath? Was Raph even more relaxed than a moment before? Or would he prefer that Leo kept his hands to himself?_

But all thoughts ceased when he felt callused fingers wrap around his ankle before Raph's own thumb began to rub across his calf. Raph still wasn't turning to look at him, but Leo's eyes remained pinned to the side of his face. He only lasted a moment before he leaned forward and whispered to Raph that he needed to talk to him. Then he stood and ignored Mikey's protests as he walked out of the pit and headed towards his room.

He stood just inside the door and swiftly closed it once Raph entered. Raph turned back towards him with the same thoughtful look on his face that Leo had woken up to that morning.

"What's up, Fearless?"

"You wouldn't want to leave, would you?" Leo's expression mirrored Raph's as he thoughtfully watched his brother's face for a reaction.

"Leave?"

"Like," Leo rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, "if _Leonardo_ wanted you to go back with him. You wouldn't go, would you?"

Raph crossed his arms across his plastron and narrowed his eyes at Leo. "Ya have a good reason for me to stay here?"

Leo felt his heart start to hammer faster in his chest as Karai's words came back to him. _He needed to get off his ass and do something?_ Fine. He took the two steps required to reach Raph and soon had his lips pressed against Raph's mouth in an insistent kiss. Leo flinched slightly when he felt Raph's hands on his shoulders, but relaxed as Raph's fingers only moved to wrap tightly around the back of his neck to pull him closer as he began to enthusiastically kiss him back.

At the encouragement, Leo began pushing forward in order to guide Raph across the room. Their mouths broke apart for a moment as they fell to the bed, but Leo quickly reconnected them so that he could fall back into the sensation of how incredible it felt to feel their lips moving together. Plus, he had landed on top of Raph in practically the same position as earlier that morning, and as Raph lifted his hips to rub against him, Leo nearly gasped as a churr rolled up his throat.

"Feel good?"

"Yes," Leo responded quickly before moving his mouth towards Raph's neck.

Raph groaned as Leo's mouth leached onto his neck. "So ya'd rather I stay?"

Leo pulled back so that he could meet Raph's eyes. Raph was breathing hard and he looked nicely flushed. And Leo was pleased to know that he was the reason Raph looked so amazing. But there was a sliver of fear in those green eyes that Leo didn't like.

"I need you, Raph." His voice was raspy, but sincere. He watched Raph look thoughtful once again. "And I wouldn't be able to handle it if you left."

One of Raph's thumbs rubbed across Leo's cheek before that hand pulled on his neck again to pull him down into another hard kiss. He enjoyed the new sensations that came with kissing as well for a moments. But then his fingers found Leo's mask tails and he pulled them back, exposing Leo's neck for him so he could pull some of the skin there into his mouth. He was rewarded with a moan from Leo and this time it was Leo who ground his hips down to rub against Raph.

Raph churred then as well and when his mask tails were released, Leo's mouth dove back down to meet Raph's again. He welcomed Raph's tongue in his mouth and twisted his own tongue with Raph's as he pushed himself up on his hand and knees over Raph so that he could begin pulling at Raph's belt. The belt was soon thrown to the floor as he realized that his own belt had been stripped from his waist and tossed as well. Leo ground his lower plastron down against Raph again, earning himself a curse from Raph right before Raph dropped down. Leo's movements paused in order to take his first good look at the hard length that was laid out impressively thick and heavy on Raph's plastron.

" _Hell_ , Raph." His smile grew as he raised his eyes back to Raph's face.

Pleased with Leo's reaction, Raph's mouth twisted into a smirk before growling, "Let's see it."

Leo obediently dropped down at Raph's request and then churred again, loud and long, as Raph's thick, callused fingers wrapped around him. Raph's fingers moved gently over him at first, but then the grip tightened as it pulled and Leo gasped. His hips began thrusting forward repeatedly, almost without his permission.

Raph smiled up at Leo and the look of pure pleasure covering Leo's face. He loosened his grip on Leo only so he could pull his own ready length into his hand as well. His hips jerked upward at the first slide of skin against skin and the sound of their combined churrs filled the room.

"Raph," Leo moaned out and Raph only moved his hand faster while his other hand pulled on Leo's neck once again in order to pull Leo's mouth back down to his for a kiss. Leo's insides were hotter than he'd ever been before, and the sounds escaping Raph's mouth around their kiss were only adding to it.

Raph broke their kiss to allow a few lewd curses to escape as his hips jerked hard and fast with a finish that pushed Leo right over the edge as well. Leo shuddered over Raph before he lost the ability to hold himself up. He slumped down to the bed, landing beside Raph, but leaving his legs to tangle with Raph's legs. He panted and let his eyes shut, feeling more relaxed than he'd felt in weeks. Or months. Or maybe years. _Why was he trying to calculate it right now_? He listened to Raph's identical panting breaths and would've gone to sleep if Raph's voice didn't break through the haze.

"Guess it was a good thing that I agreed to Leonardo landing here, huh?"

Leo's eyes snapped open and he found Raph watching him closely. "What?"

Raph lifted himself up on an elbow and kept solid eye contact with Leo. "I had a little visit from Leonardo's Raphael last week."

"What?"

Raph continued despite Leo's interruption. "He said Leonardo was about to leave on an interdimensional trip to visit a friend and Raphael didn't want him to go. Seems Leonardo is just as _thick-headed_ as you were about how Raphael feels about him. So he asked if I'd be willing to keep Leonardo out of trouble if he adjusted the interdimensional transporter and had Leonardo land here with us for a day or so."

Leo continued to stare with wide eyes and open mouth as Raph spoke. "You knew," he said in a low voice, still trying to put all the pieces together. "Why – wait, were you trying to make me jealous?"

"No. I mean, not at first." He continued quickly when he saw Leo frown. "I was just doing Raphael a favor. I had agreed to play dumb when Leonardo showed up. But then I saw an opportunity and I took it, okay? I mean, _less than hour_ after Leonardo arrived you were asleep in my hammock with me." He watched Leo continue to work this out in his head and chucked Leo's chin up so he'd focus on him again. "Leo, in the last few months, ya were trying so hard not to look at me that ya actually _stopped_ lookin at me."

Leo let Raph's words sink into him and slowly nodded. "I was driving myself crazy wanting you."

"Thick-headed," Raph muttered, but he countered it by reaching out and pulling Leo in close again. "And I was runnin out of options for gettin ya to notice me again."

"I'm sorry, Raph. I had no idea you felt the same way."

"I do." Raph's bright green eyes stared back at Leo with a serious intensity. "So, I want you and you want me and -,"

"I love you," Leo said, a challenging glint in his eye as his mouth rose in a smirk, "and you love me."

Raph smiled back at him. "Yeah, okay, Fearless. Are we all cleared up? Finished talkin about it?" One hand gripped Leo's chin and pulled it towards his own mouth again. "Cause there's something else I'd like to do with that mouth of yers now."

"Wait." Leo pulled his face back just enough to speak. "What's this other Raphael look like?"

Raph's eyes narrowed at the tease. "He's basically a walking brick wall and yer to stay far far away from him."


	5. Chapter 5

"So the remote is working perfectly fine. It just appears that the incorrect coordinates were entered. And according to the history I downloaded, I was able to pull your home coordinates so you're all set to go home."

Leonardo's lips were pursed as he thought about what Donnie was telling him. Entering incorrect destination coordinates was a very unusual error from his Donatello. And he wondered how Donatello was going to react once he got home and regaled his brothers with the story of the little adventure he'd been on. For now, he thanked this similarly tall and lanky Donnie for his efforts, and apologized profusely for ruining Donnie's weekend with the younger, red-headed April O'Neil.

Earlier, while Donnie was working, and Leo and Raph were conspicuously locked in Leo's room, April had reappeared in the pit and she and Mikey had given Leonardo the short version of how April had met the turtles. He had to admit, their origin story, as well as April's origin story, and the fact that she was the same age as these turtles, made it a little more plausible to him that this April would be with this Donnie.

While Mikey headed to the dojo to retrieve Master Splinter to come say goodbye, Leonardo thought about alerting Leo and Raph of his impending departure. But as he turned towards Leo's room, he suddenly found Leo right in front of him – _sneaky ninja_ \- with a huge dorky grin on his face and his arm extended as he held Leonardo's katanas.

"You should probably keep your weapons on you when you're in a strange place," Leo said as the weapons were accepted and Leonardo began strapping them to his shell. "Not back in a bedroom out of reach."

Leonardo issued a low hum in response as he eyed his smug counterpart. He glanced around the room and found Raph, with a similar grin on his face, talking to Donnie. And, seeing that everyone else was preoccupied and out of earshot, turned back to talk to Leo.

"Raph's really something, huh? All sexy strength, power, and attitude in one little turtle bundle."

"He's not little." Leo kept his voice low as well as his eyes narrowed. Knowing that Raph was staying, and more importantly, _his_ , didn't temper the fact that he didn't like this giant checking him out. But he was surprised as Leonardo's mouth suddenly pulled up into a real smile as he looked back at Leo with a certain degree of relief and fondness in his eyes.

"Is that the only part of that sentence you're going to argue with me about?" He continued to smile as Leo glanced across the room with that dorky grin in Raph's direction. "Listen, Leo, I know you didn't have a ton of fun with me here, but I actually had a good time. It kind of felt like I had little brothers to play with, instead of just warriors to lead. I know you understand the stresses that come with being the leader, which is why I was headed to my friend's dimension for a few days. I get to just relax there. I don't have to be in charge."

Leo nodded thoughtfully as he thought over Leonardo's past day with them with new eyes. He could see that the big guy did seem pretty content to just spend time with them. In fact, he hadn't seemed all that stressed about how he was going to get back home.

"But, you know, maybe I'll try relaxing, and even playing when I get home. I'm sure my brothers would appreciate it. And, hey, maybe you should try _playing_ here as well. Although, given the dorky grin and the fact that you look calmer than I've ever seen you, maybe you've already started to play?"

Leo appreciated what the other was trying to say. But his eyes narrowed as he said, "I'm not just playing." Because he wasn't playing with Raph. He was all in.

Leonardo nodded, equally serious in return. "Well, good," he said with a glance towards Raph, "cause he deserves the best."

* * *

When Leonardo entered his own home, he found Raphael alone in the pit. And while his first mission was to search out Donatello to discuss the incorrect coordinates from his trip, the shit-eating grin Raphael wore while he asked Leonardo about his trip had him stopping in his tracks.

He stood in front of the seated Raphael and crossed his arms. "What do you know?"

"I know that sensei, Michelangelo, and Donatello are all out visiting April. And that the fight I want to watch is on in five minutes. And yer currently blockin the TV."

He bumped his knee into Raphael's knee. "What do you know about my _trip_ , Raphael?"

If possible, Raphael's grin grew even wider and he heaved himself up in order to head towards the kitchen. He sensed more than heard Leonardo following him and finally turned back towards his brother once he'd pulled some chips down from the top shelf. The top shelf that Michelangelo claimed he couldn't reach, even though Raphael frequently noticed his snacks disappearing. He caught the determined look on Leonardo's face and decided he'd better just come clean.

Before he began speaking, his hands rose in his own defense, a move that automatically made Leonardo look even more suspicious, if that was possible.

"So, I may have asked the brainiac how that little dimension hoppin device of his worked. And then before ya left, I may have put in different coordinates than you were expectin."

"Raphael!" Leonardo straightened and glared at his brother. "Why on earth would you do that? I could have ended up anywhere!"

Raphael straightened to his own full height as well, a move that had never intimidated his older brother, but that he couldn't resist pulling when they went at each other during one of their famous disagreements.

"I'm not an _idiot_. Donatello's got a whole list of coordinates for dimensions where other turtle brothers live. I made sure to send ya to one of those." He'd even secretly made the trip himself first to check this world out and ensure that someone would be watching out for Leonardo while he was there. And since Raph clearly hadn't ratted him out, he wasn't about to rat Raph out by spilling their secret.

"That still doesn't answer the question _why_." Although, Leonardo had to admit, he was relieved that Raphael hadn't just dumped him off in some strange, unknown land.

Raphael tossed the bag of unopened chips onto the counter and sighed. This was the hard part of the conversation, and despite knowing that it was coming, he still had no great way of explaining himself. He adjusted the wrapping around one of his wrists, as if that would buy him all the time he needed to get his brain to come up with an answer that would result in Leonardo not pissed at him.

Leonardo watched Raphael's uncharacteristic fidgeting. The big brute seemed to be taking some time to form his thoughts instead of just charging headfirst into the situation. Even though this was a situation that Raphael himself had created. Still, Leonardo stood still and did his best to wait patiently, never an easy task when it came to Raphael.

Then Raphael finally raised his eyes from his wrists and met Leonardo's eyes and Leonardo took the time to really focus on just how green his brother's eyes were. And how Raphael's hesitancy to keep talking was pretty damn endearing. And suddenly Leonardo realized just why Raphael had ruined his trip.

"I just - ," Raphael started but stopped in order to heave the world's most dramatic sigh. "I just hate it when you go visit the rabbit, and -,"

His words were cut off by the press of Leonardo's lips against his own. There was a satisfied grunt from Raphael as he pulled Leonardo in closer and enthusiastically kissed him back. When their mouths finally separated a few moments later, Raph raised an eye ridge as he looked down at Leonardo.

"What, uh, what brought that on?"

Leonardo kept a completely innocent look on his face as he replied. "Well, part of it was seeing that other Raph."

"Hey." Raphael responded with a threatening squeeze around Leonardo's middle. "Ya weren't supposed to fall for the little shit."

Leonardo's innocent mask remained in place. "Well, he was pretty damn cute. Big green eyes. Dark green skin. Muscles."

Then Leonardo only chuckled in response to Raphael's loud growl, which was cut short as Raphael felt Leonardo's fingers squeeze over his own thick arms.

And while Leonardo did wonder how Raphael knew that this other Raph was smaller than he was, he decided he wasn't going to ask. Raphael had clearly done his homework before he sent Leonardo on his wayward trip, and Leonardo found that he was only grateful for the experience.

"Seeing him did make me think of you, though, Raphael," he added with all seriousness. "And _then,_ watching Leo's response to my getting anywhere _near_ Raph made me think about you harder." With that he pressed himself even closer to Raphael and let their lower plastrons brush against each other.

There was a rumble from Raphael's chest and his arms tightened around Leonardo for an entirely new reason.

"Plus, they all walk around naked."

Raph's green eyes sparked at him. "I can give ya naked."

* * *

One second, Mikey was doing his best to beat his own top score, commentating the events of the game to ice cream kitty who sat next to him in a large bowl of ice cubes, and the next second he dropped his controller and was on his feet when yet another large mutant turtle dropped in next to him.

"Whoa! We're gonna need a doorbell policy or something, dude!" He stared up at blue eyes within an orange bandana and shifted slightly when giant Michelangelo only stared hard back at him.

"Well, damn," Michelangelo finally said after a few moments of scrutinizing Mikey. "I came to prove that I am way more adorable than you are, _despite_ what Leonardo says, but you've got freckles." Michelangelo sat down in a huff. He glanced to the side and spotted the mutant kitten. "And a cat? Made of ice cream? That's not fair, dude."

"Um, sorry?" Although Mikey didn't look sorry as he grinned wide and plopped back down in his previous spot.

"Yeah, whatever." Michelangelo looked around the lair. "So, Donatello's busy and Raphael and Leonardo are _busier_." He watched Mikey look equally exasperated as his own eyes rolled in the direction of Leo's bedroom. "You want to hang out tonight? Video game challenge?"

"Sure, dude!" Mikey said, jumping up to head to the kitchen. "I'll get some food!"

"Yeah, I hear you can cook too," Michelangelo added dryly.

Mikey was two steps towards the kitchen when he heard Leatherhead's greeting at the lair's entrance.

Michelangelo jumped up as well then with wide eyes full of immediate adoration for the alligator. "Dibs," he muttered as he raced past Mikey towards the entrance.

"Hey!" Mikey quickly changed course and darted after him. "No way! He's mine!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The end. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Also, a fun update for anyone who is a fan of the Promise series (posting this here because I have no idea when I'll post another chapter to either the one-shot side stories or Fascination). I recently commissioned the amazing Sakycchan to create some artwork for a scene from Replacement. And I just have to say that Sakycchan went above and beyond (and even researched out what their individual arm marks could look like!) and I absolutely adore the visual – and do my best not to stare at it all day. If you'd like to see it, I've added the artwork within chapter 6 of Replacement on this site. 
> 
> [You can find me on Tumblr here!](https://reader115-tmnt.tumblr.com/)


	6. Artwork!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Ninjazure posted this really adorable picture of 2016 Leonardo on Tumblr recently, and I immediately wondered if they'd be interested in drawing a little pic for this piece. I had requested 2012 Leo glaring at an amused 2016 Leonardo and not only did Ninjazure DELIVER, but "unimpressed Raph" was thrown in there as well! Thanks again, Ninjazure, for bringing this fic to life! 
> 
> [Also, here's a link back to Flickr for the picture, a site kind enough to let me store my photos to be embedded in stories](https://flic.kr/p/W8Dmxr)  
> (I posted this at the end of chapter 1 for new people, but for those of you who have already read the story, I'm posting it as a new chapter so you'll get a chance to see it as well)

**Author's Note:**

> [You can find me on Tumblr here!](https://reader115-tmnt.tumblr.com/)


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